WORKERS’ CONTROL
(Resolution in connection with N. Glebov’s report)
The Second All-Russian Congress of Vocational Unions, having heard the report on workers’ control, recognizes the following:
1. Workers’ control, which was the strongest revolutionary weapon in the hands of the labor organizations in their struggle against economic disruption and the sabotage practised by the employers in their struggle against the proletariat for economic supremacy, has led the working class into direct participation in the organization of production.
2. The economic dictatorship of the working class has created new conditions which stirred up the activity of the large masses of the workers. Through their vocational associations the workers have been called upon to organize the country’s economic life and to participate in the management of production.
3. At the same time the working class domination over the economic life of the country has not as yet been completed. A subdued struggle is still seething within the new forms of economic life, which calls forth the necessity on the part of the laboring masses to control the activities of the institutions in charge of the management of production.
4. Under such conditions of transition from the capitalist system to the Socialist regime, the workers’ control must develop, from a revolutionary weapon for the economic dictatorship of the proletariat, into a practical institution aiding in the strengthening of this dictatorship in the process of production.
5. The problems of workers’ control must be confined to the supervision of the course of work in the various establishments, and to practically check on the activity of the management of individual mills as well as that of entire branches of industry. The workers’ control is carried out in practice in a certain order according to which control does not precede, but, on the contrary, follows the executive work.
6. Workers’ control is also to solve the problem of the gradual preparation of the large masses of the working class for direct participation in the matter of management and organization of industry.
With this object in view the Congress resolves:
1. To confirm the decision of the first All-Russian Congress of Vocational Unions regarding the formation of organs of control, both local and central, under the guidance of the vocational associations of the working class.
2. Within every nationalized industrial, commercial, and transport house, the local committee for control takes upon itself the supervision of the work of the enterprise and the activities of its management, for which purpose it gathers and systematizes all data relative to the running of the establishment and places the same at the disposal of the control department of their trade union, before which, whenever the necessity arises, the question of auditing the books of the enterprise is brought up.
Note. In extraordinary cases the local control commission has the right on its own responsibility to fix the time for a revision of their enterprise, with a precise statement of the subject of control, on condition that the local control committee immediately notify to that effect the Department of Control of the corresponding industrial (vocational) union.
3. The local control committee is being formed of: (a) representatives of the corresponding industrial (vocational) union; (b) of the persons elected by the general meeting of the workers employed in a given factory, who are subject to approval by the committee of the corresponding industrial (vocational) union. The members of the local control committee elected from among the committee of the industrial union, retain their office for a considerable length of time; while the persons elected at the general meeting are to be replaced in as short a period as possible, with a view to training the large masses of the people in the work of management and organization of industry so as to insure the gradual transition to the system of universal participation in it of all the workers.
4. The local control committee is responsible for its activities both before the general meeting of the workers of their factory and before the control department of their industrial (vocational) union. In case of abuse of authority, negligence in carrying out its duties, and so on, the local control committee is subject to severe punishment.
5. The representatives of the local control committee participate at the sessions of the management of the mill or factory, having only a voice, but no vote in the matter. The rights of administration of the establishment remains with the management and therefore the entire responsibility for the work of the enterprise rests with the management.
6. The coordination of the workers’ control within the limits of any given industry must be centered within the industrial (vocational) union. The union creates a Workers’ Control Department which is responsible before the management of its union.
7. The Congress authorizes the All-Russian Central Council (Soviet) of Vocational Unions to direct the institutions of workers’ control. For this purpose the All-Russian Central Council is to form a supreme organ of workers’ control, composed of the representatives of the industrial (vocational) unions.
8. With a view to coordinating all activities and eliminating the duplication of functions in the work of control, the organs of the People’s Commissariat of State Control must work in contact with the controlling organs of the industrial (vocational) unions.
9. The supreme organ of workers’ control is to work out the instructions, fully determining the rights and duties of the lower organs of control and their organization. Until such time as these instructions are made public the organs of workers’ control in the nationalized enterprises are to be guided by these rulings.
10. The regulations for the workers’ control of nationalized enterprises must be decreed by the Council of People’s Commissaries.
11. In the establishments which have not been nationalized workers’ control is to be carried out in accordance with the decree of November 14, 1917.